1962 Seattle World's Fair - Million Silver Dollars Exhibit - Slabbed Dollars Query

Getting Happier....the silver dollars came from the FEDERAL RESERVE, not the mint!

Just found this quote in an article located at: http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v13n50a19.html

"With the fair's April 21 opening fast approaching, the decision to proceed was made and arrangements initiated to purchase the silver dollars from the Federal Reserve Bank in Philadelphia and take delivery at the U. S. Mint there...."

So, it would be perfectly normal for many of the silver dollars in the bags at the display to have been circulated Morgans that had come back to the Federal Reserve from various banks. The mint in Philly was simply used as a distribution point. Hurrah! I'm starting to believe that the dollar in my holder is from the display!
:hail:

 

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Awesome Well I think you paid at most like $50 for the thing? Seems like a good deal to me.

 

More evidence suggesting my Morgan dollar is an original from the display

I did a bit more reading of that article I found today and read the following passage with great interest:

"On April 2, 1962 the trucks backed up to the mint to load the nearly 30 ton cargo. $500,000 of canvas bags, each with 1,000 silver dollars were loaded into steel boxes bolted to the floor of each truck in three hours. The convoy then set out with police escorts through towns and state patrol cars on highways while Pinkerton agents were scattered through the various vehicles. All expenses during the 13 day trip were paid for with silver dollars, often under the watchful eyes of the local press which, along with the billboard-like trucks, generated publicity in their wake. As soon as they reached Seattle, silver dollars were purchased from local banks to replenish those paid out along the way."

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So, it is even possible that my 1900 Morgan in the holder could have come from a Seattle bank, though more likely from one of the other banks in the federal reserve system.

At this point, I'm pretty well satisfied that I've purchased the real deal.

 

Yes, I agree. Seems like a very reasonable sum to spend for this bit of numismatic history.

 

I found the coupon for purchasing silver dollars from the million dollar display!

Another eBay score! I bought this today:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAP...ame=VIP:watchlink:top:en&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

The flyer is cool and will go great with the coin I bought earlier this week, but what really convinced me to buy it was the COUPON inside, which is what visitors to the fair used to order a silver dollar from the display.


It's very cool to be able to pair up one of the coins with one of the original coupons! :hail:

I also found a color photo of the building where the display was housed. Check it out:



I'm really looking forward to putting all this stuff together into a single exhibit/display.

 

Very cool addition.

My mom's nuts about the space needle because she was born that year. She'd probably go crazy over one of those coins.

 

Congrats on finding the additional info. Interesting facts too!

 

I found the above picture in the archives of the Seattle Public Libary. According to the photo notes , attendees would get their picture taken next to the display at the time that they purchased their silver dollar. (Cool!)

The full photo description reads as follows:

Sign on Million Silver Dollar Display building, Century 21 Exposition (Seattle World's Fair). "Arrangements for the unusual display were made by Northwest Historical Medals, Ltd., Walla Walla. The firm is the official numismatic department of the fair.

There will be no charge for the exhibit. The $1,000,000 will weigh about 33 tons. The display will be in a building near the entrance to the National Guard Armory. The $1,000,000 will be poured into a mesh cylinder seven feet in diameter and about 35 feet high. Plate glass will be erected between the dollars and the public.

Fairgoers will be offered the opportunity of having photographs taken with the heap of dollars. They would purchase the photograph and after the fair a dollar from the display would be mailed to each customer as a souvenir to slip inside the frame." (Seattle Times, February 27, 1962, p. 1.)

Sign reads "$1,000,000 Silver Dollar Display. Building by... Behlen Manufacturing Co. Columbus, Nebraska Erected by... Olympic Prefabricators No. 107th and Stone EM. 4-3420"

 

Another cool pic for the Seattle Public Libary. A close-up of one of the trucks that brought the silver dollars to the World's Fair. The man in the suit appears to be holding one or more silver dollars in the palm of his hand, but it's hard to tell for sure.

 

Another vieew of the Million Dollar Display Building - Seattle World's Fair 1962

Here's another view of the Million Dollar Display builiding that I had not seen elsewhere before. This also came from the Seattle Public Libary Collection. You can't miss the display building, which was a temporary metal building painted red, white and blue that abutted the front of the old National Guard Armory which had been converted into a "Food Circus" for the fair. This photo was taken from Memorial Stadium looking southwest at the Food Circus and Million Dollar Display:

 

wow. What an incredible thread! Thank You!

 

Found a different shot of the silver dollar trucks in the Seattle library archives. The notes to the photo say that this was taken on April 18, 1962, the day the million silver dollars were delivered to the display, which was 3 days prior to the opening of the Century 21 Expo - Seattle World's Fair.

 

Opening Day Crowds Outside Million Dollar Display Building - April 21, 1962

Here's a shot of opening day (4/21/1962) crowds passing by the front of the Million Dollar Display Building, which you can see on the right side of the photo.

View attachment 160015

 

Silver Dollar Display Building as seen on October 6, 1962

Another great shot of the building. This one taken on October 6, 1962, a high attendance day when 110,000 visitors came to the fair.

 

Million Dollar Display Building as seen on May 5, 1962 - Camp Fire Girl Day

Another interesting view from May 5, 1962 - Camp Fire Girl Day at the Seattle World's Fair:

 

Yet another view of the building from May 12, 1962

Another view looking down Harrison Blvd. towards the Silver Dollar Display building:

 

The coin arrived this week and I've finally had a chance to take a few photos of this elusive little piece of numismatic history. Here are the pix:

 

Million Dollar Display Brochure and Coin Purchase Voucher Photos - Part 1

Here's the original brochure and voucher for purchasing dollars from the display. I bought this a few days ago and just got it in the mail this week. It'll take two posts to do all the photos, so here are the first set:

 

Million Dollar Display Brochure and Coin Purchase Voucher Photos - Part 2

Here's the rest of the brochure - and the voucher used to reserve/purchase one of the silver dollars from the display. Also the "I've Seen One Million Silver Dollars" certificate. Found one of those too last week. Very 1960's!

 

Million Dollar Display Bronze Medal Photo

I picked up one of the Million Dollar Display Medals too. Here's are the photos:



That's all I've managed to accumulate so far. I don't know if there's much else out there that is unique to this display. But I'm very happy with the stuff I found. :hail:

I hope everyone else has enjoyed this blast from the past as much as I have.